{M}anifesto :: Pragmas of {M}

PRAGMAS

practical suggestions for making works in {M}

The artist developing works in {M} should:

1. Look for ideas by paying close attention to their own direct experiences, being alert for

         

        

        -an alteration of perception of one or more of the senses

          -transformations or distortions in the experience of space, time, causality, etc.

          -feeling unsettled or imbalanced or disoriented
          -becoming aware of something that you have perhaps always perceived, felt or done that until now has always been ignored, in the background
          -thwarted expectations and surprises
          -strong emotions such shock, fear, repulsion, or ecstasy
          -double-takes and backtracking
          -anomalies, contradictions and paradoxes
          -illusions
          -delusions
          -feelings of unreality
          -the uncanny

          -a sense of something being magical

          -expanded consciousness or feeling high

2. Explore research, documents, and practices from

   

          -psychology/cognitive science/neuroscience

          -psychotherapy

          -philosophy

          -linguistics

          -the works & writings of other artists

          -Buddhism

          -shamanism

          -different forms of mysticism

          -psychedelia 

3.  Study {M}-like works 

                                                                                              

    -not to imitate

    -to learn what direct experience of the actions of the mind might be

    -to see what points the viewer towards direct experience and what acts as a distraction

    -actual works if possible:  photographs, or video/audio recordings are second best and verbal descriptions  a poor third

4. Avoid including unnecessary content.

5. If content is really necessary, it should be self-referential to some extent.

6. Keep the work simple and avoid distractions.

7. Keep the work accessible to everyone; there should not be any requirements for previous experience of other works of art or knowledge of history or of theory. The only prerequisite for a viewer is to have a human body with functioning senses and a more or less sound mind.

8. Don’t tell viewers what to expect, but do give some hints about what to pay attention to.

9. Media and genres in which works in  {M} can be made:

texts written & spoken 

sound art 

music 

static visual art: painting/drawing/prints

design

typography

sculpture

installation

kinetic visual art

performance

dance 

theater 

film 

video 

cuisine 

architecture
gardening

fashion

spiritual or philosophical systems

sports 

games 

liturgies and rituals 

martial arts
pranks

This does not rule out other forms of cultural expression that do not appear on this list but might function like a work in {M}

introduction to {M}
enigmas of {M}
dogmas of {M}
pragmas of {M}
examples of {M}-like works
examples of works in {M}
commentary on the enigmas of [M]
commentary on the dogmas of {M}
commentary on the pragmas of {M}
references